How Do I Delete Text in Adobe Acrobat?

By Paul Kemp

Although Adobe Acrobat is not strictly a text-editing program, it does include tools that allow you to edit text from an editable PDF document. Using the program's advanced editing functions, you can highlight and delete text from a PDF without having to convert it back into a text document.

Things You'll Need

Fonts of text you will be deleting in your PDF

Editable PDF document open in Acrobat

Step 1

Open the "Tools" menu from the menu bar at the top of the Acrobat window and select "Advanced Editing" > "Touchup Text Tool."

Step 2

Locate the text you want to delete from your document. Click and drag over it to highlight it.

Step 3

Press the "Backspace" key. A progress bar will appear briefly, and the text you highlighted will disappear from your PDF document. Save your work.

Tips & Warnings

Because the "Touchup Text Tool" is primarily designed for adjusting or editing text rather than just deleting it, you need to have the font of the text you are deleting installed on your computer; otherwise, Acrobat will not let you delete the text.